Syria’s new leader vows investigation into mass killings of Alawite civilians. Who are they?

As Syria witnesses “one of the biggest massacres” since the fall of Bashar al-Assad, its new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has vowed to hunt down Assad loyalists and promised an investigation into the mass killings of Alawites following international backlash.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), 973 civilians had been killed as of Monday (Mar 10) in “killings, field executions, and ethnic cleansing operations” by security personnel or pro-government fighters on the west coast of the Alawite minority community.

Previous death tolls specified 830 “executions” targeted Alawites, to which Assad belonged, in Latakia and Tartus in the Mediterranean coastal region.

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In a video posted by state news agency SANA, Syria’s interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa said, “We will hold accountable, firmly and without leniency, anyone who was involved in the bloodshed of civilians... or who overstepped the powers of the state.”

Earlier, the president announced on Telegram that an “independent committee” was formed to “investigate the violations against civilians and identify those responsible for them.”

The United Nations, Arab League, United States, Britain, and other governments have condemned the violence.

Who are Alawites?

The Alawites are a minority Shia sect in the Sunni-majority country of Syria. They make up only about 10-13 per cent of Syria’s population of 23 million and have been a dominant community under the Assad regime since the nation got its independence from France in 1946.

Hafez al-Assad of the Alawite community became the president following a military coup in 1970. Following his death in 2000, his son Bashar al-Assad took over Syria, becoming the president under an authoritarian rule.

The long rule of the Assad family came to an end on December 8, 2025, when rebel forces seized the capital Damascus and overthrew Bashar al-Assad, ending his family’s 54-year rule.

Why are they being killed?

While the Alawites benefitted under the Assad family rule, becoming synonymous with power in the country where they were minorities, the ouster of the former president has resulted in a loss of their influence.

Reportedly, armed Sunni factions, who are loyal to the new government, launched revenge killing operations against Assad’s minority community. This escalation has threatened the control of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Sunni faction that led rebels to remove Assad from power.

The conflict started when Syria's government forces attempted to detain a suspect near Jableh on Thursday (Mar 6). However, they were ambushed by armed Assad supporters. The security forces then launched crackdowns in Alawite strongholds along the Mediterranean coast.

While the authorities claimed that remnants of Assad’s forces were targeted, they admitted that “individual actions” contributed to the killings of civilians.

(With inputs from agencies)